Quick detachable device for a sling



Feb. 6, 1962 E. A. PIERSON QUICK DETACHABLE DEVICE FOR A SLING Filed Aug. 5, 1960 HNVENTUR EVERETTE A. PIERSUN 1EY m A.TTD|2NEY "Unite fire Q. a QUICK DETAtII-IABLE DEVICE FOR A SLING Everette A. Pierson, RR. 2, Box 13, Lynn, Ind.

Filed Aug. 5, 1960, Sr. No. 47,787

3 Claims. ((11. 2941-76) This invention relates to a sling such as may be employed in lifting and lowering articles such as a casket to be lowered into a vault, or lifting dressed stone at building sites, and the like, wherein it is desired to provide an easy and quickly operated device tor releasing the sling at the object being lowered when in s l ed position.

Normally a sling for such use has an upper bight engaged by the lifting and lowering tackle, and has a continuous looped portion extending from that bight, within which loop the article or commodity is placed for its lifting or lowering. Heretofore, such a sling when employed, for example, to lower a casket into a vault, provided a problem of getting the sling free of the casket when in the vault. There is not room for access to that lower sling end portion under the casket within the vault. My device is incorporated in a sling to eliminate that problem.

A primary object of the-invention is to provide a quick releasing device wherein a sling may be opened and separated at its lower end under a carried object.

A further primary object of the invention is to provide such a device which will work automatically by setting the object down in its resting place upon which action the sling is released by removal of the pull on the sling itself.

A still further important object of the invention is to provide such a device in a compact form which is self operable and requires no extending members contacting the ground or other receiving surfaces to efiect the release of the device from the frame.

A still further important object of the invention is to provide a mechanism wherein the weight of the body being handled by the sling will retain the device in its sling closed condition and release the detfiiii m ni m by release of pull on the sling.

These and many other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the followinging description of one particular form of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which 7 FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a structure embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view with a fragment of a cover removed;

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view in disassociated relation with portions of the cover removed;

FIG. 4 is a view in end elevation;

FIG. 5 is a view in section on the line 55 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is. a view in section on the line 66 in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 7 is a view in perspective illustrating a pair of slings placing a box-like structure on supports.

A body 10 herein shown as being rectangular in form is provided with a plurality of slots 11 from an edge or side 12 of the body 10. In the form herein shown, the slots 11 open from the bottom side of the body 10 through the side 12 and are made to have their three defining walls at right angles to each other.

A slot 13 is formed in the body 11 to extend trans- I versely across the body between end closures 14 and 15.

This slot 13 is deeper in extent within the body 10 than are the slots 11. The slot 13 is also rectangular in cross-sectional area and opens from the bottom side body 1% throughout its length.

A slide generally designated by the numeral 16 is formed to slidingly fit within the slot 13 so as to be reciprocated t t Fehit 1352 I? therealong. The major height of the slide 16 is less than the depth of the slot 13 as best indicated in FIG. 6. One

end of the slide 16 has an upstanding boss 17 whichextends by an outer end into, the plane of the bottom side of the body 10. One end of the slide 16 carries a pin 18 which extends slidably through the slot end 15. At the other end of the slide 16, there is a spring 19 which is compressively carried between the slot end 14 and the end 20 of the slide 16 so that the slide 16 is normally urged to that position as indicated in FIG. 6 where its end 21 abuts the slot end 15. In this manner, the slide 16 is re: tained against the bottom 22 of the slot 13 by the pin 18 at one end, and the boss 17 at the other end which rides against the underside of the cover plate 23. The cover plate 23 is fixed to the body 10 to have its marginal edge 24 coincide with the plane of the side 12 The sling of course may be made out of any suitable material, and in many cases particularly where used in handling a casket, will be made out of canvas belting. This belting designated by the numeral 25 has a free end of the s g en ified y h era be 6 may be a a e to the dy 1 n any u b e m ner, ne pa cular form being herein illustrated wherein the body 10 has a hole 27 drilled longitudinally therethrough and slot 28 of a width less than the diameter of the hole 27 carried from the, outer side of the body 10 to open into the hole 27. The end 25 is looped and inSerted by that loop down through the slot 23 into the hole 27 to have a center pin 29 extending through the loop so as to expand the looped e within he le 2 here P o d n a ve y fiee i e retaining means.

The y 0 a s e n scr wi l o s itute Wh t may be termed a female member of the overall device.

A m m er n l y e i a by th n me al 30 h a p a y o fingers 5 extending here em, q al in number to the number of slots 11 in the female body 10- These l ts a e m d n d m n su h hat when the b dy 3 s b o ht p to the od 10 hes fin er 3 y b i ert d ea o t e r pe sl t 1.1 o ins y n e h r i n wi h the l de 1 in he Q itiQs ot d i IG 6 s e Pa the s ide. f he a on th enterins ot 1 Ea h of t ese fin er be ge en y rectan u ar n sec on to ss quh 9 t e cm tic al rea Q- e slet 1.1 is nrev led, with a n e n t h .2- Ih with .32; ap ears o the rid at sash are;

31 which are directed toward the slide 16 a a he s i e a p 1 wit t a s e s stitches he bottom of ea h ma h 4 be n a p qi ma elr in the p ane of he behest 3 of he s ot n each he ide 35 9f th slide 16 Whish is. dire ted. toward t e w e 2.3 being spaced hs ei sm ha ha spe ies will receive the upper ends of the finger b slide slot bottom 35 and the inside face of the v J s in m net.

N rma ly th s de 1e is Pastimes a ndi ated in FIGS. 3 and 5 and also FIG. 6 permit the finger 31 to slide along the slot 11, and across the bottom 35 of the slot and also the bottom 34 of the slide 16. The member 30 is provided with a shoulder 37 on each side of the finger 31 to limit the entrance of the finger 31 into each of the slots 11 so as to place the notch 32 exactly over the finger notch 33 in each instance. The fingers 31, have the portion 38 above the notch 32 forming in eii'ect fingers.

The body 30 will have a portion of the sling constituting incidentally, as further means for l respectively within the body, pinching together the end portions of the bodies and 30 tending to close the slot 28 in each instance so as to clamp the looped ends of the sling portions and 39 within that slot in each case.

Operation With the two members 10 and attached to the res pective end portions 25 and 39 of the open bottom sling, these two end portions are brought around and under the body such as represented in FIG. 7 and designated by the numeral 41. The male member is engaged with the female member 10 by inserting the pins 31 into the respective slots 11 to their full length to have the shoulders 37 abut the side 12 of the member 10. Then the slide 16 is pushed inwardly of the body 10 by means of the then extending pin 18. In so doing, the slide 16 travels to bring the face 36 between the respective slots across the notch 32 whereupon the finger ends 38 in each of the slots 11 will be extending over a side of the slide 16, thereby preventing withdrawal of the fingers 31 from the slots 11. This is the interconnecting mechanism, and that interconnection may be maintained by holding the pin 18 with its outer end 42 flush with the body 10 end 43. This holding is in opposition to the push of the spring 19, and to retain the pin 18 in that position, some retaining means is employed herein shown as a latch member 44 which in the present showing may be pivoted on the pin 4-5 carried by the body 10 to have the latch 44 rock around and over the pin end 42. As long as that latch plate 44 is in that position retaining the slide 16 in its position shifted away from the abutment 15, the member 30 will remain securely attached to the member 10.

Then the sling ends are pulled upwardly to carry the weight of the article 41, whereupon the finger ends 38 are pulled tightly against the slide 16. When this body 41 is thus carried by the sling ends 25 and 39, the latch plate 44 is turned, so that the pin 18 may be released to allow the spring 19 to kick the slide 16 to the end position as shown in FIG. 3 provided the weight has been removed. The slide 16 will not travel under the urge of the spring 19 until the load is removed, such as by setting the article 41 down on a pair of supports 46 and 47 to give clearance under the article 41. Immediately that load is rested on such supports, the spring 19 can then move the slide 16 as just indicated so that the fingers 31 may then be automatically released by reason of the slide slots 33 coming into register with the body slots 11. In this manner, pulling again on the sling end portions 25 and 39 will separate the body 10 from the body 30 so that complete release is had without having to do anything else.

Therefore while I have described the invention in one particular form, it is obvious that structural changes may be made as a matter of design without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I therefore do not desire to be limited to that particular form beyond the limitation which may be imposed by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A device retaining a connection between two sling ends under load thereon and automatically releasing upon that load removal, said device comprising a body having a slot thereacross; a transverse slot from one side of the body intersecting and crossing the first slot; a slide slidably retained in said first slot; a spring normally urging said slide to one end of its slot; an abutment carried by the body at said slot end in the path of the slide; said slide having a transverse notch thereacross aligned with said body transverse slot with said slide in said end position; a second body having a finger extending therefrom to a free end, of a size slidably entering said first body transverse slot; said finger having a transverse notch thereacross adjacent said free end; a member for shifting said slide in opposition to said spring, moving the slide transverse slot to one side of the finger notch and moving a length of the slide through the notch retaining said finger against withdrawal from the first body; means selectively retaining said shifting member in the slide shifted position; and means interconnecting said sling ends, one to each of said bodies; said slide being held in its shifted position by pressure of said finger on said slide even though said retaining means be actuated to a non-retaining condition; said spring moving said slide to a finger-release position upon removal of the load on said sling ends.

2. A device maintaining a connection under load between two sling ends and automatically releasing the connection under no load, said device comprising a first body having a slot thereacross, a transverse slot from one side of the body intersecting and crossing the first slot; a slide reciprocably retained in said first slot; said slide having a transverse notch thereacross registrable with said body transverse slot upon selective shifting of the slide; a second body; said sling ends being connected respectively one each to said bodies; a finger extending linearly from the second body of a cross-sectional shape and size to enter slidably into said first body transverse slot, the finger having a transverse notch thereacross adjacent its end removed from the second body; said notch receiving said slide thereacross and therby holding the finger against withdrawal from the first body; and means normally urging the slide to travel from said notch; said load exerting pressure between a wall of said finger notch and a side of said slide sufiicient to overcome said slide travel urging means and thereby preventing travel of the slide from the notch until release of the load to permit said urging means to operate.

3. The structure of claim 2 in which said notch and said slide each has a wall bearing against the other under load wherein the two walls lie in a plane substantially normal to the direction of pull through said two bodies by said sling ends.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 705,393 Dodge July 22, 1902 948,577 Gregg Feb. 8, 1910 1,325,025 Linnertz Dec. 16, 1919 2,410,378 Gallamore Oct. 29, 1946 

